A former Hong Kong justice minister has urged foreign critics of the city’s national security trials to study the relevant court judgments before making conclusions, expressing her confidence in the local judicial system’s independence.
Elsie Leung Oi-sie, who also previously served as a deputy director of the Basic Law Committee, slammed critics of the nation’s rule of law, arguing the outside world lacked knowledge of the country’s legal advancements and its ongoing efforts to refine the system.
She urged Hong Kong to strengthen its status as an international arbitration centre by leveraging its advantages, such as the city’s independent judicial system.
The former justice minister took aim at foreign critics, such as those in the West, for their stance that Hong Kong was suppressing dissent and press freedom through criminal charges and convictions against opposition leaders and media outlets.
“I suggest they study the verdicts, which tell all the facts and reasons … What they say must be well-founded. The best basis is the verdict,” she told a radio programme.
“I have full confidence in our judiciary. We have nothing to say if they forcibly criticise us. The most important thing is to be our best selves.”
